Archive for July, 2010

Metal Head Weekend in the Country. This delightful black metal group came down from the mountains in Big Indian to get ice cream next door, check out the Mystery Spot, and experience a bonding moment with Timmy the CPR Dummy Factory Reject. They hailed from Poland, Greece, Columbia and Queens. Agrath representing.

The Kingston Daily Freeman ran a nifty front-page feature in their weekend Life section on Mystery Spot Antiques and our upcoming Music for Front Porches concert series. Many thanks to reporter Ann Gibbons and photographer Tania Barricklo.There are seven rooms filled with covetable “stuff” — several exclusively of vintage clothing, a room filled with records, another of curated antiquarian and collectors’ books, a rusticalia section and a plasticalia section. Don’t ask — you must see for yourself. It’s just great fun.- Kingston Daily Freeman

The very cool Watershed Post gave a nice shout-out to our front porch music series, with this insightful (and yes, somewhat true) little caveat:The whole performance is just bait, of course, to lure you into the vintagey maw of the Mystery Spot itself, where the largest concentration of knicknacks and de-mothballed treasures in Phoenicia lies in wait. – Watershed Post

Photo of the Mystery Spot sign from Field Guide 25/Darbie.

Scoping online, we found a fun tour of Phoenicia and mini-review of the Mystery Spot on Field Guide 35:One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE vintage stores. This place is jam packed with all kinds of gems. Clothes, records, books, housewares, collectibles, oddities(?)….pretty much anything and everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s all curated by proprietress Laura Levine who clearly has an eye for the amazing…and the…umm…unusual. But no description of mine is going to do this place justice. You have to go see it for yourself. And while you’re there give my regards to Petey the Piranha. - Field Guide 35.

The Mystery Spot’s Music for Front Porches series is thrilled to present a special musical performance by Holly Miranda on Sunday August 8th @ 1 PM!Come on down to Phoenicia’s Main Street on Sunday, August 8th for Holly Miranda on the front porch of Homer & Langley’s Mystery Spot Antiques. The music starts at 1 PM. As with all of the shows presented by the Mystery Spot this season, it’s absolutely FREE, organized through complete DIY/grassroots efforts, and all are invited.*

Holly Miranda (photo by Sebastian Mlynarski)

Holly Miranda first began playing in New York at age 16, when she dropped out of high school in Michigan, told her mom she was going to visit her sister in New York for a few weeks, and never turned back. Whether solo or with her band, she’s become an artist consistently able to mesmerize with her range as well as her songs. Holly’s XL Recordings debut, The Magician’s Private Library, was produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek and is one of the most enthralling records of 2010.

Holly Miranda recently played a very successful sold-out show at the Bowery Ballroom and is part of the Celebrate Brooklyn concert series at the Prospect Park Bandshell in August.“Holly Miranda’s falsetto makes the walls collapse.” —Vanity Fair“…a less fearful Cat Power, a more substantive Feist, a Norah Jones with actual feeling.” —New York Times“a rare talent.” “one of the stars of 2010″ - Time Out NYYou can hear “Waves” here.Watch her play an acoustic version of it here.

Check out ourMusic for Front Porcheslink above (or sign up for our mailing list) for the latest updates on upcoming shows this season, including Jonathan and Grasshopper (Mercury Rev) AND Dean and Britta, Uncle Monk (Tommy Ramone and Claudia Tienan), and Ambrosia Parsley and Chris Maxwell. All FREE!

Read more about Holly Miranda here: http://www.hollymiranda.com

*Dates may be subject to change, and visitors may wish to call or email the shop to make sure there are no last-minute changes in the schedule.

One of our favorite moments when we open the shop for the weekend is reading what’s been scribbled on our LEAVE A NOTE pad. Sometimes we find notes from people letting us know what they left money for, or notes from friends passing through. Often, we discover little pictures or mini-reviews of the shop.

It’s always a mystery when we open the doors of The Spot for the weekend because we never know who’s going to enter our little world. This past weekend brought us a mix of old friends, fun new customers, an actress, a television personality and a crossword wunderkind.

This lovely lass is Lauren Messing, a young actress who you’ll be able to see this summer in The Electroscheme. She studies acting at NYU (as once did her delightful cousin, Will & Grace’sDebra Messing). Lauren declared this vintage Fifties white rayon crepe spinworthy dancing dress so laden with rhinestones it has a life of its own ($100.). was the dress she had to have, and we found it hard to disagree.

So the next time you spot a sparkling vision in white gliding up the red carpet at the Emmys or Oscars, take a close look – it may very well be Lauren, in her stunning new dress.

We suspect that Kelly Cutrone and Ava Cutrone fall under the classification of a Force of Nature. They burst into the Mystery Spot with a wave of energy and fun and had us on the floor laughing for half an hour. It took us a while before we even realized that Kelly is a world-famous publicist (People’s Revolution), TV star (MTV’s The Hills and The City, Bravo’s Kell on Earth) and best-selling author; and Ava, well, she may only be eight but she’s well on her way to greatness as well.

Of course, they didn’t come just to entertain us – they came to shop! And so they did – check out Ava’s killer mod 60’s flower power culotte romper ($20.) and NOS 60’s “Celebrity” Miami Beach striped vinyl tote ($20). – just perfect as a carry-all for her new puppy Lola. (And waterproof! A feature which came in handy about 3 minutes after this photo was taken).

Liz Pulos is a dear customer friend. She started out as a loyal Spot customer (and still is!), but she is now officially a Friend. And we couldn’t be happier! When people plan their trips months ahead just to come visit the Mystery Spot, we know we’re onto something good. Liz, Donny and their other friend Liz spent the better part of their vacation weekend here in the shop, and everyone emerged a winner.

Liz didn’t buy this 60s Mad Men Style black-and-white striped NOS ensemble (cocktail dress underneath; bolero jacket on top – $65), but it looked so great on her we just had to take the photos. Don’t you love the hat, purse, and two-toned shoes she picked out?

Liz’s husband Don Undeen went (natch) straight to the record room where he loaded up on some killer jazz vinyl as well as a 1971 copy of Rolling Stone with Miles Davis on the cover ($15.)

Their friend Liz Linstrom was on a lamp quest, and she was most successful! As Liz and this 1950s abstract mauve ceramic lamp with fiberglass shade ($68.) lamp are united for the first time, you can feel the love in the air.

But really, did anyone charm us as much as young Caleb Madison? He asked if we had any old crossword items, and our brain churned a bit and then immediately recovered the latitude and longitude of The Little Folks Cross-Word Puzzle Book circa 1949 ($14.) which has been suffering in obscurity for at least 8 years in the back of the book room, just waiting for someone like Caleb to come along and rescue it. Caleb was thrilled, we were thrilled, and we suspect Will Shortz will be thrilled as well when he opens his Christmas presents this winter. (Shhh….!)

Caleb is a pretty modest fellow, but we were able to get him to spill that he’s the youngest person to ever have a crossword published in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, at a mere fifteen. (He’s all of seventeen now). And we have some crossword pals in common (shout-out to Andrea Carla Michaels! When are you coming to visit my shop already???)

The Mystery Spot’s Music for Front Porches series kicks off our 2010 season with a FREE performance by Ida and The Naysayer on Sunday August 1st @ 1 PM!Come on down to Phoenicia’s Main Street on Sunday, August 1st as the bands Ida (Daniel Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell) and The Naysayer (Anna Padgett and Miggy Littleton) perform family style on the front porch of Homer & Langley’s Mystery Spot Antiques. The music starts at 1 PM. As with all of the shows presented by the Mystery Spot this season, it’s absolutely FREE, organized through complete DIY/grassroots efforts, and all are invited.*

Ida, 2010

Ida play an idiosyncratic style of minimalist folk rock music that revolves around complex vocal harmonies and sparse (often acoustic) accompaniments. This special show will feature a stripped-down lineup consisting of founders Daniel Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell.

Ida’s latest release “My Fair My Dark” (Polyvinyl Records) features guest appearances by Levon Helm, Peter Schickele, Tara Jane Oneil and Michael Hurley. They also released an album with Michael Hurley called “Ida Con Snock” (Gnomonsong) in 2009 which was recorded at Levon Helm’s Studio in Woodstock. Ida will be touring on the west coast this summer and fall with Michael Hurley. Dan and Liz also have a new children’s album coming out this fall on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings called “Sunny Day.“

Anna Padgett of The Naysayer (photo by Mike Littleton)

The Naysayer is the home of the bare songs of Anna Padgett. Sadness and self-deprecating humor alternate with a rollicking “shove-it-up-your-ass” attitude. Anna’s delicate guitar playing is complimented by sparse arrangements of varied instruments, in this instance played primarily by Miggy Littleton, most recently of White Magic and Blood on the Wall; more historically of Ida.Check out ourMusic for Front Porcheslink above (or sign up for our mailing list) for the latest updates on upcoming shows this season, including Holly Miranda, Jonathan and Grasshopper (Mercury Rev) AND Dean and Britta, Uncle Monk (Tommy Ramone and Claudia Tienan), and Ambrosia Parsley and Chris Maxwell. All FREE!Read more about Ida here: http://www.idamusic.comRead more about The Naysayer here: http://www.myspace.com/thenaysayer*Dates may be subject to change, and visitors may wish to call or email the shop to make sure there are no last-minute changes in the schedule.

It’s funny how on certain weekends we notice trends. For example, there might be a sudden run on Fifties lamps. Or 60’s soul 45s. Some weekends a parade of musicians stop in. And this past couple of weekends, artists.

Artist Joe Andoe has been a faithful Spot customer for quite a few years now. He always heads straight for the record room, and we must kinda like him, because we allowed him to talk us into selling him our only display copy of Steamin’ with the Miles Davis Quartet right off the wall ($5.). He also picked up a sweet copy of Bill Doggett and his Combo ($10.). Whenever he stops by the shop when we’re closed (more often than not), he sometimes leaves us cool drawings on the backs of record jackets.

Wes Lang has some pretty great tattoos. They really grabbed our attention, and no wonder, he’s an artist himself. He chose this vintage Happy Face mug ($10.). for his official Mystery Spot portrait. Having taken a peek at his latest work at the Zieher Smith Gallery (Smile, It’s a Great Day) we now get it.

Our old friendAmy Arbusand I rose in the ranks together back in the early 80s when we were both young photographers for the Village Voice. My beat was the downtown music scene; hers’ was street fashion, recently collected in a beautiful book, On The Street. She’s not only a great photographer, but one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. And she was very happy to make the acquaintance of Desdemona, The Devil Girl of Phoenicia, The Mystery Spot’s very own mascot (NFS).

Marc RubinandIna Kozelhave an amazing studio a few miles down the road from the Spot. Ina’s silk paintings are breathtaking, and Marc creates alternate universes in his workshop. Marc is also the dude who custom built the beautiful record bins in our vinyl room for which we will forever be grateful. Ina took home this vintage “French Ivory” hand mirror ($7.) which is neither French nor Ivory, as it turns out. But still nice.

It’s time once again for the Mystery Spot’s Annual Music for Front Porches series! (As always, FREE, and everyone’s welcome.)All season long the Mystery Spot is hosting FREE special musical performances by some of our favorite musicians and bands on Sunday afternoons on our front porch on Main Street in beautiful downtown Phoenicia, NY*

coming this 2010 season:

Ida (Elizabeth Mitchell & Daniel Littleton) and The Naysayer - Sun. August 1 @ 1 PMHolly Miranda – Sun. August 8 @ 1 PMGrasshopper and Jonathan (from Mercury Rev) AND Dean & Britta - Sun. August 15 @ 1 PMUncle Monk (Tommy Ramone & Claudia Tienan) – Sun. August 22 @ 2 PMAmbrosia Parsley (Shivaree) & Chris Maxwell – coming soon!….and more! (p.s. click on the names above to link to their websites).We’ll be adding more info soon about the shows, and hope to post photos of some of last year’s shows as soon as we get a moment.*please call the shop or check the blog often as dates may be subject to change!

Here are Tommy Ramone and Claudia Tienan, otherwise known as Uncle Monk, playing the porch last summer. They'll be back again this August 22nd! Get your tickets now! Oh wait - there are no tickets! It's free! Just show up!

More shows to be added – you’re welcome to sign up for our mailing list or Facebook group for the latest news and updates.

(Special thanks to Loren Chodosh, Lisa Gottheil, David Ayers, Chris Maxwell, and of course, all of the performers. More thanks to come!)